1. Field
The present disclosure is generally related to a system and method for melting and molding meltable materials.
2. Description of Related Art
Various methods have been used to mold molten metal materials. For example, die casting generally consists of injecting molten metal under high pressure into a mold. There are two methods typically used to inject molten metal into a mold: cold chamber and hot chamber. In hot chamber methods, low melting point alloys are used in a gooseneck feeding system, where the injection mechanism is immersed in the molten metal bath. On the other hand, in cold chamber methods, higher melting point alloys (e.g., aluminum alloy) can be used and melted in a crucible before pouring into a cold chamber. Some variations of a cold chamber include squeeze casting and semi-solid molding.
As molten material is moved along and/or into a mold to produce a part, the molten material can start to solidify, because it comes into contact with cooler walls/surfaces of the device being used for molding. Accordingly, there can form a solidified region of material within the melt, which, if molded into a part, can produce frozen and/or crystalline structures (also called skull material). The material can be unpredictable and thus a molded part can lack homogeneous properties. Molding with skull material can diminish the final quality of the part after it is formed and degrade its mechanical properties.